Hunger Games
by Dri North
Summary: Katniss AND Gale in the Hunger Games? You better watch out peoples. Told from both Gale and Katniss's POV .
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1- Gale's POV

I woke up at five in the morning, just around dawn. Katniss was counting on me to be there, at our spot in the woods with something to ironically celebrate Reaping day. The day that destroyed the world as we know it for twenty-four families all across Panem.

I struggled into my boots, and headed out the door.

The woods were behind a small meadow that was concealed inside the District 12 fence. I was brave enough to go past the fence, if it wasn't charged. Which it often wasn't.

I listened for the buzz of the fence that meant the fence was live. As usual, it wasn't. I slipped under the fence, and sped into the woods.

Sometimes, people picked apples from the trees at the front of the woods in the fall. But they never went out of sight of the meadow. I, along with Katniss, was among the brave.

Snatching up my bow and arrow, I looked around for game. I heard some rustling in a tree, so I shot an arrow blindly. A squirrel. A squirrel! Just a dumb squirrel that I couldn't trade for bread any day.

I sighed and hooked the idiot creature to my belt. The baker's wife surely would be out hanging banners in town square. If I hurried, maybe the baker would trade, without his wife around to scold him for settling for such small portions of meat.

Treading out of the forest was the hard part for me. It was never hard for Katniss. Oh, Katniss. I sure hoped she didn't get picked. Or her sister, Prim. It would kill her to watch Prim suffer and not be able to help.

Just as I was at the edge of the forest, I paused as I man hobbled by. I was surprised I didn't recognize him. From business in the Hob (black market) to living in the Seam, (poor part of District 12), I knew almost everyone there was to know.

Of course, there were people that kept to themselves. That man was probably one of them.

I kept my footfall quiet as I tried to almost tip-toe down the streets of the Seam. The residents here were very aware of their surroundings, and some people didn't approve of my hunting.

The bakery was just past the square. I was weary and made sure the baker's wife didn't catch a glimpse of me. She'd probably follow me and see to it I didn't get a trade.

I knocked on the baker's back door.

"Hello?" a boy, about Katniss's age, with ashy blonde hair and clear blue eyes answered the door. "Oh. You want to trade. Dad's not here, but I know he likes squirrel. I'll be right back."

He was back in a few seconds with a loaf of District 12's signature bread. "Squirrel, please."

I handed it to him and snatched the bread out of his hands. It was still very warm. "Hey, good luck." I said, fighting the urge to say, "You won't need it."

"Oh. Thanks. You're Gale, right? I'm Peeta. Peeta Mellark. Good luck. I know you don't like the whole tesserae thing. Neither do I. I had to put three more slips in this year." he hunched his shoulders and closed the door.

Tesserae is the Capitol's way of mocking us, and how poor we are compared to them. I actually don't consider us poor. Just more resourceful and less lazy. Anyway, tesserae is when you add your name in the reaping one more time in exchange for a years' worth of grain and oil for one person. But here's the catch. If I add my name more times, I get more grain and oil for my family. As do the other Seam families. So this year my name will be in the reaping sixty-eight times, even though it was my last eligible reaping, since I was eighteen, I still felt like this was the year.

I trudged back to the forest, less careful about silence now. When I was going to the bakery, people were asleep. And if you wake a Seam person up early in the morning because of hunting, you could easily get bashed over the head with a frying pan. But now, although the usually buzzing streets were empty, people were starting to wake up.

The spot Katniss and I shared was at the top of a flowery hill in a small clearing. I'd met her here, when she was just a little kid, probably almost thirteen. She taught me how to use a bow and arrow, and I taught her how to set snares. She was sixteen now. I'd admired her for three years so far, almost to the day.

I took an arrow from my quiver and stuck it through the loaf of bread, so I could make a joke when Katniss made it to the hill.

Finally, I could hear rustling in the woods, and I thought of Katniss's appearance. She had caramel brown skin and long dark hair she always wore in a braid down her back. Her dark eyes were very expressive, but only when she allowed it. I thought she was beautiful.

She finally emerged from the woods. I went into best friend mode and waved my arrow-stuck bread at her. "Look what I caught!"

She laughed. "Sentimental baker?"

"Something like that." I laughed. I watched as she pulled a thick slice of goat cheese out of her coat pocket and waved it.

"_Thank you, _Prim!" I said. She handed me the cheese. I broke the bread in half and spread the cheese on it.

I pretended to hide her half of the loaf, and she pounced on top of me, pinning me to the ground. "Give me the bread."

I breathed heavily and said, "NEVER!" as I rolled to the side and teased Katniss with the bread half I was holding in my hand. I finally gave up and threw it at the back of her head. She flipped around and caught it so fast, it wasn't even funny.

"So. Reaping day." she sighed, tearing off a piece of bread with her fingers and shoving it in her mouth. I thought she looked like the subject of a painting, with her dark eyes gleaming in the sunlight and the thoughtful look on her face.

"Yeah." I imitated Effie Trinket, the moronically upbeat woman that arrived every year to draw the names from the "glass balls of death", as my brother had nicknamed them. "And may the odds be _ever _in your favor!" I squeaked.

She laughed. Then she did something I never thought she'd do in a million years. She got up from the ground and gave me a tight hug, burrowing her face into my neck. "I really hope neither of us gets picked."

I cautiously put my arms around her back, not wanting to stand there like and idiot with my arms flailing like noodles. "Me too."

She broke away from the hug, and said, "See you at the square."

I nodded. "See you."

We went our separate ways.

XXX

The square was filled with people of all ages. But those eligible for the reaping were standing in the middle, youngest in the front of the crowd, oldest in the back. I couldn't see Katniss anywhere.

The mayor stepped up to the podium and started telling us the same story he told every year. About the shining country, Panem, with thirteen districts and how everything was going so great for it. Until riots started. Uprisings. District 12 was settled, and thirteen was completely obliterated. To remind us how brutal these wars were, there became the Hunger Games. Each district was required to submit two tributes, one boy and one girl, to fight to the death on live TV. The last person standing wins.

When the mayor finished the story, he read off all of District 12's victors. We'd only ever had two. One was still alive. His name was Haymitch Abernathy, and he was a drunk. He was drunk almost every reaping, and bet that was why his seat was still empty on the stage.

Effie Trinket stepped up to the podium, and said, "May the odds be _ever_ in your favor!" she twirled her finger through her hideous pink hair.

She stepped over to the girl's glass ball, and pulled out a slip. "Primrose Everdeen!"

No. No. No. I wanted to scream. That was Katniss's sister, Prim, the sweetest little girl I knew, next to my sister, Posy. No!

I watched as Prim slowly inched up the steps of the stage, but someone immediately ran for the stage yelling, "I volunteer!", and replaced her.

Oh no, Katniss.


	2. Chapter 2

**I do not own Hunger Games. Suzanne Collins does, and I would really like to steal it from her. Bring out the throwing knives….POW?**

Chapter 2- Katniss's POV

"I volunteer!" I yelled. I ran up to the stage, and Prim was crying.

"No, Katniss, no! Don't do it!" she clung to my arm, and Gale ran up to the stage to pull her off of me. She screamed the whole way back to my mother, trying to kick her way out of Gale's arms. It killed me to watch her in pain.

"So?" Effie asked. "What is your name?"

"Katniss Everdeen." I washed my emotions in a fake waterfall of confidence and spoke surely, trying to sound nonchalant.

"I bet my buttons that was your sister!" Effie laughed. "Well, on with the reaping!" she waddled toward the boy's glass ball.

All the sudden, Haymitch Abernathy stumbles onto the stage, and slaps me on the back. "I've been watching you from the crowd!" he said drunkenly. "I like you! You've got spunk! More than you! More than you!" I will never get the chance to know if he was defying the Capitol, or mocking the crowd, because he passed out drunk and rolled off the stage, I know we are the laughing stock of Panem now.

I look down at my boots, worn and leather. I wore them even though they didn't go with the green frock my mother gave me to wear. The supple look of the leather calmed me, and I took deep breaths.

I didn't get it. Prim was _twelve_! Just twelve! I did everything I could to protect her, like forbid her to take any tesserae, and wait till the last possible minute to turn her slip in, because the top ones always ended up on the bottom somewhere. She had one slip in the ball. I hated myself for not protecting her fully. But, I took her place. I _was _protecting her.

I wasn't paying attention to Effie or the world at all. I wasn't meaning to listen to the name of the person that was going to the Capitol with me. But it got into my mind anyway.

"Gale Hawthorne?" Effie read. Gale walked up the steps, and I could tell he was trying to do what I was doing: act nonchalant.

My eyes got wide, and I was getting ready to bawl. I didn't care anymore. My best friend just got picked, and whether we liked it or not, either one of us or neither of us was coming home alive.

The anthem played, and Peacekeepers came to escort us to the Justice building, I had only been in there twice; once to receive a medal for my father's death, and a second time to sign up for tesserae. They put us in separate rooms, and I stroked the velvet on the seat I was sitting on, waiting for my first guests.

I decided that I would do one of three things if Gale was murdered. A: Go on a rampage to avenge his death, succeed and win the games. B: Go on a rampage to avenge his death and get killed. C: Commit suicide.

It was in that second I realized I loved him. It felt good to admit it to myself.

My mother and sister were the first to come. I took Prim in my lap.

"You shouldn't have done that for me." Prim said.

"I needed too. You know it. You would have tried to help the wounded, and that would have made you vulnerable." I said.

My mom put her arms around us.

"You can't leave again, Mom. Not now that Gale is going with me." I said. I was talking about when my father was killed. She went into a sort of trance, and wouldn't get out of bed for months. I thought we were going to starve, until I was reminded that I _could _hunt. It scared me silly to think about what would happen if both Gale and I died, and nobody would be there to provide meat.

"I didn't mean to. It was an accident, I was so shocked…" my mother sighed.

"Well you can't do it! Gale's brothers might be able to get some meat for you while we are gone. Ask them about it at home, okay?" I watched her nod, and I brushed a strand of loose hair out of my face.

"Promise you'll try to win, Katniss." Prim said.

"I will." I said, even though I was thinking, _What about Gale? _I kissed her forehead.

She smiled weakly, and left. I was met with my next guest; Madge Undersee, the mayor's daughter.

"Hi." she said sitting next to me.

Madge and I were good friends. I talked to her at school, and she sat with me at lunch. I didn't except her to come though.

She put something in my hands. I looked at it. It was a small circular gold pin with a mockingjay on it. Mockingjays were something of a slap in the face to the Capitol. During the Rebellion, they made lab generated birds called Jabberjays that could remember and repeat human language. After the Rebellion was over, the Capitol put the Jabberjays in the woods expecting them to die out. Instead, they mated with Mockingbirds. The Mockingjays can't speak, but the cam repeat whole songs if they like voice enough. They'd sing for my dad.

"Make this your district token. Please." Madge said, holding my hand.

"I can't…" I mumbled.  
"You can. Here." she took the pin and pinned it to the front of my dress.

I gave her a small hug, and then she was gone. I felt alone.

**A/N: I didn't put this in Chap. 1, but since Peeta didn't get picked, I wanted to have him in at some point. Although I am on Gale's side, Peeta's personality is a critical element in the original books. Also, does anyone know what the time lapse between HG and CF is? And not between releases, within the story line. Review! **


	3. Chapter 3

**I don't own Hunger Games. I play games with my mind to make myself forget I'm hungry.**

Chapter 3- Gale's POV

Posy came through the door, and I opened my arms for her to run into them. I knew somewhere, Katniss was doing the same thing for Prim, who was probably telling her she shouldn't have volunteered.

Which she shouldn't have.

My name got drawn. Katniss's didn't. Simple as that. If Katniss hadn't volunteered, I could have made Prim stay safe. Prim could have won.

I thought about this while I hugged Posy. If Posy got picked, would I volunteer for her if I could? Yes. I would a thousand times over. I finally started to understand why Katniss volunteered.

But, now that both of us were going to the arena, my brain felt like a lump of lead instead of a functioning muscle.

When Posy stepped away, my parents, and my brothers, Rory and Vick surrounded me telling me I would win, and come home to them. But they weren't worried about Katniss. That sort of thing happened when children from two close families get picked. Each family forgets about the other's well being.

I smiled and nodded as they left, trying not to cry, and take in their words all at the same time. They wanted me to do whatever it took to win. Kill Katniss. They wanted me home even if I was a depressed shell of myself. They were being selfish.

My last guest was Prim. She gave me a quick hug. "Gale, keep Katniss safe. Please. For as long as you can. I know…I know you can't be allies forever. But please." she looked at me meaningfully, and her wide, tear-full eyes saddened me. I would try to promise Prim this. Because, even if Katniss didn't know it, we were going to end up as allies anyway. For as long as possible.

"I promise to help keep Katniss alive, Prim. But in return, you have to promise me something. Can you help my mother with Posy? I know she's too young to understand that I've just gotten my death sentence, but she knows I'm going away. That will make her stubborn and sad."

Prim nodded. "I'll try. Now I have to go. Don't tell Katniss I talked to you. She would think I was trying to get you to kill yourself to save her. I'm not. But you two make a good team."

I gave her a hug. "Okay, Prim."

A Peacekeeper came into the room. "Time to go, young lady."

Prim put up her hand. "Please. Hold on."

But the Peacekeeper grabbed her by the shoulders and started pulling her to the exit.

"Gale! I know you like Katniss! I think she does…" the door was slammed, and I couldn't hear her anymore. But I didn't have to think about what the last word was. _Too_. Prim thought Katniss liked me too. Actually, I _loved _Katniss. Liked wasn't a strong enough word. I put my head in my hands. The situation was now too unbearable to think about. What if Katniss and I stayed allies to long? We could end up as the last two by chance. But she was deadly with a bow and arrow. If she got her hands on one, the careers would drop like flies, and at one point, I would be her last kill. I stopped at that thought. She wouldn't ever kill me. Ever.

The Peacekeeper that took Prim came back. "Okay. Time to go. I will escort you to the front of the building, where you will get into the black car. Understood?"

I nodded vigorously, and followed after the Peacekeeper.

I had never ridden in a car before. It was a whole new thing to me. I slid on the shiny upholstery next to Katniss, who was very quiet. She had a solid gold pin on her shirt, and I knew it was her district token. Mine was the leather bracelet I had fastened to my wrist. It had a metal disc the leather was weaved through, and it had the first initial of each of my family members carved into it. P, R, V, M, D. Posy, Rory, Vick, Mom, Dad.

"Katniss?" I whispered.

She looked at me, and it was obvious that she had not been crying. She was trying not to, so she wouldn't look like a fool for the cameras. "What?"

"It's okay to be afraid." I said.

"I know. But I don't want to look scared. I want to look unforgiving. Strong. My strategy is to look like I know what I'm doing, get into the careers, and kill them all. You should do the same. We would come out on top." she said "we" as if both of us could win.

"But only one of us can win. One out of twenty four, you know the rules." I said.

She nodded. "That doesn't mean I can't have a strategy."

"I know. But the careers will stab you in the back at some point. Don't you think we should just stay allies together?" I asked.

"I can be a double agent."

Actually, that was the best idea I'd heard-strategic wise-all day. I had a perfect plan set up in my head that I'd go over with Katniss _after _her place in the careers was insured. I wasn't going to get anywhere near them, but I knew how we could still work together, and pick of a few of the careers before she broke away. It was obvious she couldn't keep with them for long. If careers kept kicking the bucket, and she was with them when it happened, people would begin to get suspicious. That's where I'd come in…

"Gale?" Katniss's voice broke my train of thought, and it ran off a track into the ravine of forgetfulness. "We're at the train station."

I nodded and slid out of the car.

We were right not to cry. The cameras were everywhere, nearly blinding us at every turn. On the screen, Katniss had achieved her goal-unforgiving and strong. I on the other hand was only almost achieving _my _goal of annoyed, nonchalant, careless.

All of the sudden, about fifty feet from the train, Katniss's hand gripped mine, and squeezed. She was letting her stress out through her hand.

I squeezed her back, letting her know that I felt the same way. And when I looked up at one of the screens, I noticed that our hands were getting a full on close-up, as expected. Tributes weren't supposed to have anything to do anything with each other till we were off our plates and in the arena. We were being "rebellious".

Once we were on the train, I looked at Katniss. Tears finally dripped down her cheeks and she ran after Effie for her bedroom assignment.

I then realized something. I had never seen her cry before. Ever. Her tears meant everything to me. Some little incentive that she might understand every thought that had been running through my brain for the last few hours.

Effie came back without Katniss.

"Gale, your room is up here. Across from Haymitch…" she knocked on a wood door and opened it, gesturing for me to go inside. "Feel free to change out of those nice clothes. Dinner might get a little messy; we're having noodles with green sauce. I always have to tuck a napkin in my shirt." she smiled and left.

I slammed my fist into the dresser and collapsed face down on the bed. I didn't know if I wanted to go to dinner. Effie would probably make me, anyway. You needed a lot of fat to survive the hunger of the Hunger Games.

**A/N: So sorry for the wordy paragraphs. Actually, not so much. If they annoy you, ain't my problem. Suggestions (and the pointing out of mistakes,) are welcome! (but may not get used), so please review and give me your opinions! You are also welcome to try to guess what will happen next. But I wouldn't tell you if I was being held at gun point, and if you killed me, you wouldn't ever know what I was planning to happen. Whatever. REVIEW! **


	4. Chapter 4

**Umm, don't own Hunger Games, blah blah blah, yada yada yada.**

Chapter 4-Katniss's POV

The cameras were everywhere. It was almost overwhelming. I tried to look unforgiving and strong, but only just achieved the goal. Gale looked perfectly calm and collected. I had a tense appearance, which might have gone hand in hand with my goal.

A little ways before I could see the train, I grabbed Gale's hand without thinking, and squeezed, knowing that at one point or another, I would tell him my feelings incase I won the Games. I didn't want him dying thinking I didn't care.

He squeezed my hand. He probably thought it meant something else. Like that I was stressed or upset. I was neither. I was trying only to convince myself, that at one point or another, I'd be home in District 12, with Gale. In the woods, hunting meat for my family.

But both of us knew that would never happen.

Once on the train, I start to tear up, and the tears boiled over in huge quantities almost immediately.

I watched Gale look at me for a second, saw that Effie was making her way down the train car, and followed after her.

"Effie!"

She turned around and the corner of her mouth turned up. "Katniss? Do you need something?"

I nodded. "Can you tell me where my bedroom is?"

Her eyes got wide. "Oh, goodness, I almost forgot! Yes! Turn around, and your room is the third door on the left. Change out of your dress, you probably are the kind of person that prefers pants, am I right? Feel free to put on anything in the dresser."

She didn't even seem to notice that I was fighting the urge to sob. I went down the hall to my room.

I tore off my mother's dress, and replaced it with brown trousers and a yellow long-sleeved shirt, never taking off my boots. Then I collapsed on the bed, and let loose the first sob.

XXX

Effie knocked on my door two hours later. "Katniss? Dinner's ready, and you can't afford to skip."

"Can you have someone bring it to me?" I whined. "I don't want to come."

Effie banged on the door. "No! You will come to dinner or you will not eat at all. If you die of starvation in the arena, I will insist you brought it upon yourself."

I scowled and dragged myself to the dinner car.

Haymitch wasn't there. He was probably trying to sleep off a hangover that came early. Not that I knew anything about alcohol. I was much too young to drink it.

I sat next to Gale and chewed quietly, until Effie started up conversation.

"You two have much better manners than the tributes last year. They ate their meals like savages."

That made me blow a gasket. Those two kids were my _neighbors _in the Seam! Brother and sister! They barley ever had enough food to go around, and when they did, surely manners were the last thing on their mind! My mother wasn't raised in the Seam, so yes, I knew how to handle eating utensils. But to judge people like that, when you've only known them half a day, is wrong. And to talk like them casually, when everyone in the country watched them die on live TV, it made me mad.

Gale obviously felt the same way. He and I ate the rest of my dinner like a pig, and made a point of wiping our hands on the frilly table cloth afterwards.

Effie looked alarmed at our sudden change in behavior. She stood up, hobbled around on her ridiculously high heels for a few seconds, and left.

I sat back in my chair and put my hand on my stomach. The food was rich, and creamy. I was trying not to eat a lot of it, just so I wouldn't throw up. but it was just _too _good to be eaten in small portions. The slippery noodles in the delicious green sauce, the bread, and the chocolate mouse…oh, Lord.

Suddenly, Haymitch stumbled into the room. "Hey, kiddo." he pointed at Gale. "And you, you are the spunky one? Correct? You remind me of someone. I can't remember who." and with that he plops down in a seat and grabs a bottle of wine from the middle of the table.

I don't want Haymitch to drink. If he does, he'll be too hopped-up on spirits to help us win. I grab a steak knife and pin his sleeve to the table. If he wants his drink that badly, he'll tear himself free.

"What's this? Do I have a pair of fighters this year?" he chuckled.

Gale took the bottle from Haymitch's grasp. "You can count on it. We've been friends for the past three years; we know each other so well, we can help each other in the arena without trying."

I nod.

"So, do you have any skills?" Haymitch asked.

Gale shoved the bottle his way. "I'll tell you if you promise to stay sober enough to keep us alive."

"Sure." Haymitch agreed, halfheartedly.

"Katniss is a perfect death sentence with a bow and arrow. I'm good with knives, and snares. She is pretty good at throwing knives. She needs to work on it, though."

Haymitch nodded. "Katniss, show me what you've got. Throw this knife you've pinned me to the table with at the opposite wall. I want to see some action."

I took the knife and hurled it at the wall. It got caught in the fabric seam, making me look a lot better than I really was. I knew I could score big time with a bow and some arrows.

Haymitch clapped. "Now, you. Boy. Tell me what you know about knives."

"If your attacker is coming at you head on, aim for the knees to get him on the ground. Go for the death blow while he's trying to get up." Gale said with a slight smirk.

Haymitch nodded. "You will both do good. Become allies. Say it. Right here, right now. 'I am officially your ally'."

We mimicked him, knowing it didn't have to be official. We were allies from the moment we met.

**A/N: This chapter sucked, I know. It was more of a filler, and to be honest I enjoy writing Gale's POV more. I read HG and CF with Katniss's POV, and I don'. No, I am not going in a pattern with who tells what, but I want certain characters to tell certain parts, and this is how it's worked out so far. And thanks for the reviews! I know I don't get many, but you guys respond so quickly to them. It makes me happy to know I have loyal readers! Review! **


	5. Chapter 5

**I don't own the Hunger Games. I want to, but we all know that will never happen. EVER. It saddens me.**

Chapter 5- Gale's POV

I stomped back to my bedroom. The whole thing with Katniss, it was killing me. I loved her. I really did. But I didn't want to tell her. Not at the expense that she didn't feel the same way. It would make our friendship wonky. I closed the door to my room and lied down on my bed. I stared at the ceiling. Tomorrow, we'd be in the re-make center all day being covered in a layer of fake "beauty". If I felt like I didn't need it, Katniss sure did not need it at all, and it would probably annoy her to the bone.

I looked for patterns in the ceiling cloth till I drifted into a light sleep.

XXX

I felt like a duck that was plucked for a Christmas dinner. My prep team had waxed every inch of hair off my body; legs, arms, chest. It felt extremely weird. Even my eyebrows were reduced to "perfected lines" because they were _too bushy_!

Portia, my stylist, came in to look at me. She had darker brown hair, creamy white skin, and vibrant violet eyes. There was no sign she had ever been surgically altered. She did, however, where the slightest bit of eye makeup, but I had a feeling it was just to make her eyes more noticeable.

She circled around the chair I was sitting in, and mumbled good things about my appearance. Never once did she say a bad thing.

She smiled at me. "Put your robe on, and we'll have lunch."

I slid into the robe that my prep crew, Theodosia, Rochelle, and Stephan had been allowing me to wear on and off for the past few hours.

Portia led me into a small sitting room, with a table set with all kinds of food. I sat down and resisted the urge to start stuffing myself.

"Gale?" Portia asked.

"Yeah," I replied looking up at her.

"We're really excited. This is my first year being a stylist, and Cinna and I have a great outfit planned. Instead, of focusing purely on the miners, we are going to focus on the coal.

_Buck naked and covered in black powder, _I said to myself in a sing-song-y voice.

"And what does coal do? It burns."

That brought me up short. "You. Are. Using. _Fire_." I said.

"Just artificial fire. We spray it on you, looks like fire to the audience, you guys can't feel a thing. Cinna and I have tested it on ourselves." Portia assured me. "But come on. You haven't even _seen _the costume yet!"

I ate slowly as she jabbered on about what they were planning. Finally, when lunch was done, she rushed me back into the styling room to get dressed.

I was in a simple unitard, the kind that spies wear sometimes, black lace-up boots, and an orange cape. I barely wore any makeup. One, because I'm a guy, and two because they wanted me to be recognizable. They just erased all my scars and blemishes.

Portia led me down to the bottom floor of the remake center, and got me to wait on the chariot. She said Katniss would be down momentarily, because her makeup would take a little longer.

When Katniss did make it down, she was completely stunning. Her lips were painted red that was a little more pink than red, her eyes were the color of smoke, thick and mysterious. Her face was smooth and airbrushed. She was gorgeous.

"Hi!" she said. She sounded a little too cheery. Maybe Cinna had that effect on people.

"H-hi, Catnip," I barley managed. Catnip was the nickname I gave her when we first met. She said her name so quietly I thought she said "Catnip". I teased her with that name, and she told me I was just deaf.

"How are you? You look nice." She parted her lips to reveal her pearly white smile.

"I'm fine. You look nice, too. What's with the happiness?"

The smile fell right off her face. "Your right. That won't work. What do you suggest?"

I laughed. "Angry. Unforgiving. Your sister almost got a one-way ticket to a coffin, and now you've stepped in to take her place. Play that angle."

"Both Cinna and Haymitch say I need to try being pleasant for a change."

"I can hear that coming from Haymitch, but Cinna? I happen to think you are perfectly fine."

"Yeah, around _you_! Haymitch annoys the living hell out of me. And Cinna, all he said was that I needed to smile. Make the crowd like me." Katniss hung her head. "I am the kind of person that prefers to be sullen. Haymitch said I could pull it off if I wasn't so _tiny_!"

"You're not small. You are all muscle. Your strength is not to be judged." I said.

"That's not what he meant. I am smaller than all the other contestants, and I look too tiny to pull off 'sullen'."

That made sense, in a weird way. "Oh. Come on, everyone's getting on their chariots."

We climbed up on the chariot. Cinna came by and started our artificial fires, but you couldn't see them right under the fluorescents. We'd have to wait till we were outside to see the fire correctly.

First, District 1 left the gates, their outfits glimmering with jewels. Then 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6, and all the way till Gale and I left the gates. I saw Portia and Cinna, their hands clasped together in the air. They were pointing at the hand hold.

I knew what they meant and grasped Katniss's hand before she could react. But she just went along with it.

Katniss stared ahead, and didn't take note of the audience. She truly did look unforgiving, and if Haymitch didn't think so, he was even more of a drunk than I thought.

The crowd cheered, trying to get Katniss's attention, or mine, but neither of us looked around, we just held hands and stared ahead.

The chariot circled around the fountain in the middle of the square, and stopped in front of the balcony on the Training Center so President Snow could make his appearance while the anthem played. I watched the screen, and as soon as the President was on the balcony, and the anthem was playing, the camera veered back to the District 12 chariot and our flaming capes. They looked majestic in the dark.

When the anthem ended, the chariots galloped back to the remake center and let of off. Portia extinguished my fire and gave me a hug. "You both looked wonderful. But what happened to smiling?"

I shrugged. "Neither of us are good at it."

"I saw Katniss smile right before you guys got on the chariot. There's something about you that makes her happy. Find out what it is, and keep her happy." Haymitch said, coming over to me.

"I know what it is already." I said quietly.

"And what would _that _be?"

"We've been best friends for the past three years, and we tell each other everything. Those memories are what is making her happy." I said, almost growling.

"I didn't realize you two were that close." Haymitch gulped. He turned around and mouthed something at Effie, but I couldn't see what. But I knew what the nervous gulp meant. He was worried our friendship would cloud our judgment in the arena. But he didn't need to worry about that. If the arena was a woodsy type environment, we'd be set. I just needed a knife, and Katniss needed a bow and arrows. I'd see to it that she got those arrows, too, if it was the last thing I did.

**A/N: This paragraph **_**was **_**a little rushed, I admit. But, I needed to get the point across. Gale **_**will **_**do anything to make sure Katniss has what she needs to be protected. That will come into play, later! Same thing for Katniss. Review, please! I like feeling like a little book celebrity!**


	6. Chapter 6

**I don't own the Hunger Games. If I have to say that one more time I think I might spontaneously combust (burst into flames).**

Chapter 6- Gale's POV

We got in cars and drove to the Training Center, even though it was only around the corner. I thought this was silly, and would have preferred walking much more.

Katniss nearly fell asleep in the car, leaning against my shoulder. But she still had dinner to make it through. I nudged her cheek when we were at the Training Center, and she seemed to become wide awake.

We got in the elevator, and pressed the number 12. Each district had their own floor, and their floor was their district number. Easy enough.

Katniss said goodbye, and we headed off to our rooms to take showers.

This bedroom was larger than my _entire house_ back in District 12! There was a large king sized bed with a mountain of pillows and blankets, a large closet with a screen for you to tap an outfit on. The bathroom held a huge shower with various buttons that did various things, I expected.

My favorite of all, though, was the wall of books. I didn't know if I was allowed to read them, but I'd always just like being around books. I thought it was because my father used to read older books the mayor gave him in exchange for the meat he caught with Katniss's father. I never met Katniss while my father was alive, though.

I took a shower, and put on some simple clothes. I was starting to transform into myself again. Gale Hawthorne, eighteen year old from the Seam, that hunts illegally with Katniss Everdeen, the person he loves.

I debated whether or not I should read one of the books until Effie came and got me for dinner.

"Gale, time for dinner." she knocked on the door.

"Okay." I tore my eyes away from the shelf and followed Effie to the dining room.

Katniss was already there, but her eye makeup was still there. "Didn't you take a shower?" I asked.

"Yeah. But this eyeliner and mascara doesn't come off easily. You're lucky." she slouched over her food and ate quietly.

"I couldn't believe it when I finally noticed they got the coal dust out from under my fingernails." I said, trying to make conversation. But obviously, Katniss was not in a talking mood.

She nodded and went back to her food.

"Hey, you okay?"

She looked at me. "The depression finally caught up with me."

I suddenly felt terrible for bothering her till she told me what was wrong. "I'm sorry I asked."

She shrugged. "It's okay. I'm being a baby."

"No you're not." I insisted.

"For someone who gets up every morning and goes into the woods, even if it means certain death, yeah I'm being a baby. If I forget its people I'm trying to kill, what's the difference, really?" she asked.

When she put it that way, there really was no difference. But I wasn't going to encourage the behavior. "Okay, stop it, Katniss. You're scaring me."

"Fine. I will try to act fairly normal." she sighed. "You tried the lamb stew?"

"No. Is it good?" I asked, spooning some onto my plate.

"Delicious." she smiled. "Don't eat the plums, though. I think they were a little short of ripe. But whatever, who cares, really?" she stuck a plum in her mouth.

"O-kay." I said.

Dinner went like this for some time. When finally we finished, we watched the recap of our fiery introduction to the games. I walked Katniss to her room.

At her door, she said, "Gale, I…"

"Yes?" I said.

"Nothing." she slipped inside and slammed the door shut. She was probably angry with herself. Why? Because she protected Prim and couldn't do anything to help me if she tried. I knew it. There was nothing else she could be mad about. I tried to convince myself that was the case, but a part of my brain wondered if she was preparing herself to have to kill me. I shook the thought and went to bed.

XXX

In the morning, I found a plain red shirt and black pants on the foot of my bed. I put them on.

I met up with Katniss. She was wearing a strapless cut off (as in 'the hem was under her ribs') shirt the same color as mine, black pants, a black jacket, and she had her braid pulled through the back of a black hunting cap. She obviously added the coat to make herself feel comfortable, and the hat because she was used to wearing one.

Effie forced breakfast into us, and handed us over to Haymitch, who had probably made a servant withhold his alcohol just so he'd be sober enough to give us directions.

"Okay, kiddos. Listen up. There are two rules: don't show your talents; save those for private lessons. Next, stay at each other's side as much as you possibly can, okay? One or two stations by yourself is fine, but don't branch off for too long." He said. He leaned into the wall in front of the elevator.

I nodded, and Katniss looked un-amused, like she was just trying to make it through the day. Wonderful. I knew from experience that she was hard to deal with when she looked like that.

"Now head downstairs." Haymitch pushed us into the elevator and pressed the training floor's button.

All the other tributes were already there. Now was Katniss's chance to get into the Careers.

"Remember your plan?" I asked her.

"Yeah. I'm going to start now. Screw what Haymitch said, we're the ones playing the Games."

"I think he had a good reason for telling us that." I said. "I'll go with you."

"No! I'm getting into the careers, your not. But I swear, we are allies. Double agent, remember?"

I nodded, and Katniss went off to talk to the thug from District 2. I watched her demonstrate her bow technique without a bow. She pulled back an invisible string and let the make-believe arrow fly.

District 2 nodded, and broke out into a smile. Katniss said something, and I tried to read her lips. _I…illegally…_ was all I could make out. I filled in the gaps. _I hunt illegally, for real._ She was telling him. Why?

Katniss smiled triumphantly and waltzed back over to me. "I'm in. Cato says he can assure me a bow and arrows, as long as there is one at the Cornucopia. Let these Games begin."

I told Katniss my plan. She'd always volunteer to go on patrol. She'd take one other career with her every night. I'd meet up with them, and kill the career. After awhile, the head honcho, obviously Cato, would get suspicious. He'd go on patrol with her, and I'd attack from above, and he'd go back to trusting Katniss. Then, one night she'd let someone else go on patrol. She'd take all the stuff she needed, and make off in the middle of the night when everyone was asleep to meet me. Perfect, right? Not so much. I had a feeling Cato was too excited about Katniss's abilities to think she was back stabbing him from the beginning. It would be a while…

**A/N: Both wordy and stupid describe this chapter. I wonder why? Because I'm rushing! Sorry! I'm going on vacation in a couple weeks, and I want to get as much done as possible. REVIEW!**


	7. Chapter 7

**I don't own Hunger Games. I have no life, which is why I write this fan fiction. (Actually, I **_**so **_**have a life. But I am in love with writing.)**

Chapter 7-Katniss's POV

"Remember the plan," Gale said.

"Yeah. I'm going to start right now, screw what Haymitch said, we're the ones playing the games." I said.

"I think he had a good reason for telling us that," Gale persisted. He touched his fingertips to mine, as if he wanted to hold my hand.

"No! I'm getting into the careers, your not. But I swear, we are allies. Double agent, remember?" I said. I watched Gale nod slowly. He should be more competitive. He's probably dig himself out of whatever depressed hole he put himself in at the start of the reaping later. I walked over to the boy from District 2, Cato.

"Hey!" I said.

He faced me. "What do you want, Everdeen?"

I was surprised he knew my name, but then realized he had probably watched recaps of the reaping. "I want to be on the careers. I want to be allies."

Cato looked at me with a scowl. "Really? What would I benefit from?"

"I can take out someone with one arrow, one shot. I'm good with knives, too." I demonstrated for him.

"Prove it. When we start training, go over to the archery station, and show me. I don't believe you, because there's nothing to shoot in 12." he scratched his head.

"I can't. I don't want the people outside of the careers to know my skills. Especially not the boy from my district. He's a bitch and would try to take me out first chance he got, if he knew." I wasn't normally one to swear, but it was all part of the bribery. "But I'll tell you this. It might win you over. I hunt illegally. For real. Ask anyone in 12."

Cato's face broke into a huge smile. "Deal. I'll get you a bow if there is one, and a belt of knives. There's always those. But you have to participate in the blood bath. I'll have people watching you, and if you try to make off with your weapons, they _will _kill you. Understand?"

I nodded. "If there's not a bow, don't worry. I can make a makeshift one out of wood. There's always wood." I paused. "Oh, and by the way, if you see me with the boy from 12, it's all fake. I'm trying to buddy up with him so he'll trust me." I lied.

Cato nodded, then I left.

I rejoined Gale, and smiled. "I'm in. Cato says he can assure me a bow and arrows, as long as there is one at the Cornucopia. Let these Games begin."

Gale then told me his plan. "Get your bow, and knives, and get me something to. Like, pretend to throw a knife at me. I'll catch it and run off, but I'll end up just outside the careers campsite.

"Every night, volunteer to go on patrol, with one other career. I'll kill them, and you can beat yourself up a little to make it look like you got in a fight. After a while, Cato will start doubting himself, and go on patrol with you. This may happen very quickly, or slowly. I'll attack him, but start trying to protect him, and let me 'get away' before you can actually hurt me. The next night, steal a sack of food big enough to keep for a few nights, and then meet me somewhere. Then we'll start _our _Games."

I had to admit, the plan was brilliant. I might tweak it a little bit, but it would work. It could really work. Good.

Training began, and Gale and I drifted from station to station. I liked the edible plants one, because we both aced that. I could scale the plastic tree they had at the climbing station in under a minute. But it wasn't very tall, probably just as high as the ceiling, ten or fifteen feet. And it wasn't as rough. Gale and I steered clear of the knife throwing and archery stations, because 3, 5,6,7,8,9,10, and 11 were keeping eyes on everybody.

The next three days passed like this. We trained, ate lunch (I tried to mingle with the careers, but bide by my promise to Haymitch as well,) trained a little more, and then went back to our floors. Finally came private lessons. As I was the girl from 12, I was scheduled to go last. All the tributes went out the opposite door and back up to their floors, so the room slowly emptied. When it was just Gale and me left, I considered telling him my feelings. But I couldn't. Not just yet.

Finally, Gale was called away, and I waited uncomfortably for my turn.

Fifteen minutes passed, and I went inside. I could tell the Gamemakers would not be paying very much attention to me. I was last, and they'd probably had one glass of wine per tribute. That's twenty three glasses of alcohol. I threw knives at a target for a few minutes, then moved on to archery. The materials the bows and arrows were made out of was unfamiliar and slick. I picked one and shot until I got the feel of them. Then, I shot down a weighted sack that was hanging near the ceiling. Hardly anyone was watching. They were paying attention to the pig that had just been delivered to them. That made me mad. I got out-staged by a pig! I pulled back an arrow, and shot it through the apple in the pig's mouth. It soared through the stands and smacked into the back wall. The Gamemakers were startled. One man even fell backwards into the punch bowl.

I threw down the weapon and stomped out of the room, a smug look on my face. The smugness only lasted till I got into the elevator though. I probably just ruined my chances of getting a decent score. That didn't stop anyone in the Capitol from being my sponsors, but it would make Cato wonder if I was lying. Whoops.

Effie confronted me at the elevator. "Oh, Katniss, you're early! What happened?"

"I'll tell you at dinner. I only want to tell the story once." I said.

We sat down at dinner a few minutes later. Obviously, Effie had spread the news of my early arrival, because everyone was staring at me, waiting for an answer. "I shot an apple at the Gamemakers," I mumbled quietly.

"What?" they all said.

"I SHOT AN APPLE AT THE GAMEMAKERS!" I yelled. "Sorry. I didn't mean to yell."

"You, _what_?" Haymitch was all over me. "They'll sic wild dogs on you in the arena, or…or something! They'll keep trying till you are dead. They will make sure you don't win, Katniss."

Oh, gee. That sure made me feel better. "Oh come on, they'll probably just give me a bad score." I said.

Haymitch shrugged. "Believe whatever you want to."

"Can we just eat and agree that I messed up big time?" I asked. "I don't thing I really deserve to be scolded when I'm going to be in the arena one day from now. Besides, we need to go watch and see the scores."

Everyone agreed, and we went into the sitting room.

They showed a headshot of all the tributes on the television, and their scores. I wasn't paying attention much to anyone but Cato, Gale, and I. Cato pulled a seven. Gale got an eight. I'd be lucky if I got a four. I waited for my score, and to my intense surprise, I got an eleven. I gasped, and suddenly everyone around me had pulled me into a group hug. Everyone, except Haymitch.

"They did that so everyone will be after you in the beginning." Haymitch shrugged. Little did he know, my eleven was actually a _good _thing. I bet Cato had fallen out of his chair due to sheer happiness I was "on his side". No matter. I wanted to go to bed.

"One question," Haymitch asked before we went to bed. "Would you two like to be coached separately, or together tomorrow?"

Gale and I both agreed that separately would work the best for both of us, and went to bed.

XXX

I was awoken by Effie's chorus of "Big, BIG day to get ready for," outside my bedroom. I put on random articles of clothing and stumbled to breakfast, still half asleep.

Gale was already there, just a little bit more awake than I was. I made him pinch my arm really hard, the way he did when I was extremely tired in the woods some mornings. I was awake almost instantly.

We got eight hours of training. Four with Effie for public etiquette, and four with Haymitch for interview style.

I got to be with Effie first. I had no idea how much she could possibly teach me about sitting and listening intently to everyone's interview. But it turns out she had me working down to the last minute. She had me walk in a full length ball gown and five inch heels. She squealed at me when I tried to hitch the dress up above my ankles, and got very impatient when I tripped. But when I finally mastered those, she gave me the most important test of them all.

"Smile, Katniss." she said.

I flashed a very quick, and very fake smile.

"Not like that!" she cried.

"I can't smile if I'm not really happy!" I said.

"What happened to that smile you had on right before you got on the chariot? It was wonderful. It's Gale, isn't it? He makes you happy. So think about Gale, for God's sake, Katniss think about the funniest thing he's ever done to you!"

I thought about the arrow through the bread on the reaping, and how I had to tackle him to get it. I couldn't help but smile a little bit. Just a little, though.

"Oh my god. Was it really that hard? A real smile, even if it's small, is better then a frown. Now go, Haymitch is waiting for you."

I pulled on some normal clothes and went to meet Haymitch in the dining room.

"Okay, Katniss, let's find your angle. That's the way you portray yourself. You would do good with how you were on the chariot, I think. So, do that, plus determined to win for your sister, and you'll have it. Just remember to smile." Haymitch let me go back to my room and rest for the rest of our time. I guess he was using his time to get drunk, since he wouldn't have a chance for at least two weeks while were in the arena. Then I had to be handed over to my prep crew.

Octavia painted my nails black with little orange flames forming at my cuticles. Flavius weaved strips of red in my hair, and did tiny braids all over the place. Venia rubbed out my features and drew them back in; dark eyes, red lips, orange eye lids. The last touch was Cinna's dress. The prep crew left, and Cinna came in with a black dress bag over his arm. "Close your eyes," he said.

I did, and held my arms up. He slipped the dress over my head, and instantly I could tell that it was very heavy.

He directed me toward a mirror. "Open your eyes."

I did. The dress was beautiful. It had red, orange, and white crystals inlaid in the fabric, and some of them had blue accent tips. The dress material was gold and shiny. "Oh, Cinna…" there were no words to describe how pretty the dress was.

"You look beautiful. Now let's get you downstairs by Gale. You wouldn't want to be late, would you?"

Cinna led me to the elevator, and as soon as I saw Gale, I had to stop myself from gasping loudly. He was very handsome in a black suit with flame accents. His eyes looked like smoke. Very, very sexy clouds of smoke.

We waited behind the stage for about ten minutes, then Caesar Flickerman, the person who interviews us, said, "Ladies and gentleman, please welcome the tributes of the 74th Hunger Games!"

We entered the stage, and sat in a long row behind the interview chairs. I was second to last, because of my district. Gale was last.

The girl from District 1 puts on a small crooked smile as she sits down across from Caesar, his hair dyed powder blue. She's sexy all the way.

I tried to wipe the sweat forming on my hands off on my dress, but the fabric was too slick. I was getting nervous, which was bad. I can _never _smile while I'm nervous. It was a known fact in my household. When my mother knew I was hiding something, except on birthdays, she'd say, "smile, Katniss!" and if I couldn't, well, she knew.

Each interview lasts only three minutes. Before I knew it, the little girl from 11, Rue, was across from Caesar. She was exactly like Prim in size and demeanor. I wondered how long she would survive.

As I pondered on this, Rue's interview came and went. Then Thresh's. My name was being called.

I stood up and smiled. As I was partially hidden by the curtain, the crowd had not yet seen the beauty of my dress to the extent. They "ooh-ed" and "ahh-ed" every five seconds.

As soon as I sat down, Caesar was asking me questions. "So? Katniss. Why don't you tell us a little bit more about that little girl you volunteered for?"

I gulped. "Her name is Primrose. Everyone calls her Prim. She's my sister, and she means more to me than anything else in the world." Well, actually, right now Gale might be the exception. Prim was safe at home, and now I wanted to keep Gale safe. For as long as possible.

"I see. I could tell she didn't want you to volunteer."

"She didn't but she would have died, otherwise." I explained. "She takes after my mother. She likes to heal people. She'd try to help the people that were hurt, and that would make her vulnerable."

"Yes, it would, wouldn't it, Katniss? And what about this _eleven_? Wow." he said. "Are we possibly aloud to know what you did to get such a high score?"

"I'm not supposed to talk about it, am I?" I looked up halfway at the Gamemakers' box.

The man who fell into the punch bowl yelled, "She's not!"

"Well, okay, then. Katniss, can you do one last thing before your interview is over? Spin for us?"

I sighed, and twirled a few times around. The crowd sighed out of pure admiration. "No, don't stop!"

I twirled once more, and as the timer rang, headed back to my seat.

Gale's interview was twice as good as mine. He had a certain calmness about him, and he was funny, too. I thought it kind of odd that he was finally showing the world the carefree side of himself that only I'd seen before.

"So, Gale? Do you have a girlfriend back in 12?" he asked.

Gale thought for a second, then shook his head. "No."

"Oh, surely, though, there's a girl that's stolen your heart? Am I right? Why not tell her now, live? When you get home she might just notice you for once…" Caesar teased.

"That wouldn't really help my case," Gale whispered.

"Why not, Gale?"

"Her name is Katniss Everdeen."

**A/N: Am I torturing you all, yet? I've been desperately trying for a decent cliff hanger…I think I finally achieved it! Tell me in your reviews! Also, if you are lucky I might have the next chapter up today, because I don't have much to do. This is my longest chapter yet! REVIEW!**


	8. Chapter 8

**I don't own Hunger Games. That would be President Snow….**

Chapter 8-Gale's POV

"That wouldn't really help my case," I said quietly.

"Why not, Gale?" Caesar asked, as if he were really, truly one of my friends trying to make me feel better.

"Her name is Katniss Everdeen." I said.

It took a few seconds for the crowd to register what I had just said. Then they exploded. I was in love with Katniss Everdeen, who had been sentenced to death along with me. I looked up at the screen. Katniss was getting a close-up, and she was crying. Really, truly crying.

"Well, Gale? Don't you just wish we could bring her back out here? But rules are rules!" Caesar asked.

As I went back to my seat, I was tempted to hold her hand. But I didn't. We all stood up and even the crowd quieted to listen to the anthem.

Right when the last not of the anthem cut off, Katniss threw her arms around me and kissed me. Though we were hidden behind the curtain, the camera had caught us. I knew it. There was a loud, "Aww" coming from the stands.

Katniss took her lips away from mine and buried her face in my neck, not much different from the way she did on the morning of the reaping. "I hope that says all I meant it to say," she said. She was obviously still crying. I now knew why. She was terrified to admit it to herself because it could be used against her in the arena.

As Cato passed, he gave her an odd look. She lifted up her head and mouthed something. Probably, "I'm lying." Which she wasn't! His face went away quickly.

"It did. It said everything." I whispered.

She stepped back from me and wiped tears from her eyes. And though she was still partially leaning on me, we walked to an empty elevator.

When we got up to our floor, Haymitch and Effie were waiting by the elevator door.

"How are the star crossed lovers doing? Magical, I presume? Or horrified they might loose each other tomorrow in the blood bath?" Haymitch stood there, tapping his toe slightly. I could tell he was somewhere between thinking the whole "I love Katniss Everdeen" thing was brilliant, on thinking it would get us killed.

"I…ummm….." I said. I could tell Haymitch's harsh words just set a time bomb on Katniss's tears, which was very hard to do. But I guess if she had been crying already, it was different.

"That was perfect! You all have sponsors now!" Haymitch said. Effie agreed. "All those sentimental Capitol citizens with the soft hearts. How did you know?"

"I didn't," I said. "Everything I said on the stage was the truth."

That pulled Haymitch up short. "Real? This is even better!" he said sarcastically. He stomped off to his room. I had a feeling that he wouldn't have been so apposed to it were he sober. He collapsed about halfway down the hallway.

"Well, kids, go get washed up and go to dinner." Effie said. "I have to figure out what to do about Haymitch…He'll be at dinner, don't worry…"

We broke off and went our separate ways. I took a quick shower, and pulled on normal clothes. When I got to the dining room, Katniss was already there. Her hair still had streaks of red in it, and her fingernails still had the polish.

She noticed me eying her hair. "The dye didn't wash out. I guess it's permanent."

I laughed. "It makes you look like a chocolate covered strawberry." I pointed to the tray that was coincidentally next to her plate.

"Haha, very funny. Sit down and eat. You need to stuff yourself tonight. We go into the Games tomorrow." Katniss pointed to the seat next to her. It was weird to hear her talk about it nonchalantly.

I sat down, and kissed her forehead. "Hey, I never said the look didn't work for you."

"You never said it did, either. So there." Katniss smiled a little bit.

"So we're going to play this game?" I asked.

Katniss nodded. "Yes, and I will _win_." She suddenly cut herself off, as if she realized she couldn't win. That she couldn't win the Games. Not without leaving me behind.

Haymitch stumbled into the room, and sat down. Katniss perked up instantly. "Haymitch, I know you're drunk….but any last words of advice for your lovely tributes?"

He put one finger up. "One. One rule: stay alive." then he fell face first onto his empty plate. Effie groaned and had a servant come to pick him up. I recognized her, and I could tell Katniss did too.

We both knew from where.

One day, while in the woods, the Mockingjays suddenly quit singing, and we heard the hum of a hover craft. We hid under a shelf of rock, thinking they were looking for us.

But that's when we saw them. A boy and a girl, both about Katniss's age, were running through the forest. They looked as if they hadn't eaten in days. The girl looked at Katniss, and screamed for help, but it was too late. A spear on a rope impaled the boy, and the girl was caught by a net. We never saw them again, and I was pretty sure the boy was dead.

Now, here I was, looking at the read headed girl whom Katniss always felt indebted to. She didn't seem to remember me, but it was obvious she recognized Katniss. She looked at her with wide, cold eyes. Angry.

Because you don't forget the face of the person that was your last hope.

XXX

The morning was sunny, bright and shiny. It's quite ironic, really. For the day to be happy when several people will no doubt be losing their lives today.

Portia comes and helps me into simple clothes. The rest of the preparation will be done in the catacombs of the arena. I will not see Katniss again until we have entered the arena.

We went up to the roof, and a ladder came down to me. As soon as I touched it, my body went rigid.

I heard an unfamiliar voice say, "Hold still, Gale, this is just so I can get the GPS tracker under your skin without you squirming."

Sure, I didn't squirm. But boy, did it hurt. When I was finally let off the ladder, I scrambled backwards, and looked out the window at the Capitol and all it's glory below.

**A/N: I know this was short, but except for the beginning, it was more of a filler. It kind of sucks toward the end. I know. Review and tell me how to improve! **


	9. Chapter 9

**I don't own Hunger Games, but by reading the books I was taught some things.**

**1: To feel betrayal, you must first feel trust**

**2: Gale is way too hot to just be Katniss's best friend. :)**

Chapter 9-Gale's POV

Portia told me to eat, so I stuffed myself till I couldn't eat anymore. I drank as much as I could. I wondered if Katniss was having problems getting food down.

"Gale, you need to change into your clothes." Portia came over to me with a sealed plastic package. She had no say whatsoever what I went into the arena wearing. She tore open the package and helped me into black pants and boots, a simple green shirt, and a black coat that somewhat resembled a hunting jacket.

"It reflects body heat, the jacket does." Portia explained. "It has to be long or there's no point. Oh! I almost forgot!" she pulled something out of her pocket. "Here. This _is _your district token, isn't it?"

She fastened my bracelet, the one I thought I'd been wearing since the reaping, onto my wrist. I hadn't even noticed its absence. "Thank you!" I said. I gave Portia a hug. "I'd almost forgotten it, too."

"Listen. I don't want you to get so caught up in protecting Katniss that you get yourself killed. Watch her back, but also watch yours. Kay, Kiddo?"

I nodded, and then got in the pressure tube that would push me and the metal plate I was standing on above ground.

I see a vast woodsy landscape, not much unlike our woods at home. There is a huge lake, and a little ways after that, there's the gleaming Cornucopia and all it's glory. I know Katniss is smiling.

Sixty seconds is how long we had to wait to start. That's when the land mines would be disabled. I looked to my right, and saw Katniss. Her hair wasn't in a braid, but there were thin braids scattered throughout the top layer of her hair. I look at her, and when the gong sounds, I tore off.

Katniss did too. She met up with Cato, and they fought through the crowd for a bow and arrow. The one bow and arrow. Katniss got it and gets the quiver of arrows into position, but now she needed knives. Then she spotted them. She tore them out of the girl from district 3's hands, and fastened the belt around her waist. I didn't stick around to watch much else.

I grabbed two backpacks that look the same, one for me, and one for Katniss if she wasn't able to get anything to take. I felt a knife stick to the pack I'd just shrugged onto my shoulders, and turned around to mouth "thanks", then I ran off.

I ran as fast as I could through the forest. I tried to stay on a path, but zig-zag as much as possible. Then it dawned on me. The careers will be staying by the lake. It's obvious. They always get the greatest camp spots with the infinite amount of water, and all that. I circled back around to the lake, but had no idea where I'd hide for the rest of the day.

The soft ground was good for a silent tread, so I looked for spots to hide without calling any attention to myself. I poked at trees to look for hollows, and all that.

Finally, I found the perfect hiding spot. A hollow in a tree that was wedged in the middle of a circle of five other trees. I slipped inside a opened the backpacks.

The contents were identical. A sleeping back, two filled water bottles, two apples, a small package of beef jerky, some crackers, and a change of guy's and girl's clothing. I moved all the guys' clothes into one bag and the girls' clothing into the other.

I waited for a long time. I even dozed off for a while. Then I heard Katniss's voice. "It doesn't look like anyone is here!" the person she was with didn't respond with words.

I waited till she went a little further down the small train between the trees, and came out of my small nook. I scaled a tree and waited for Katniss to come back with her companion. She reappeared, alone. "Gale! What are you doing up there? Someone could see you?"

"Waiting to kill your patrol partner."

"Her name is Collista. She prefers to be called Collin. Anyway, she's from four, and I don't like her very much. All I know is that _you can't kill her alone_!"

I climbed down the tree. "Then we do it together, and I'll clean whatever weapon is used."

"I could take her out with my bow and arrow, but then Cato would know it was me. Come on, I need you. I left her up here." She led me up the path. "Collin!"

"What?" a blond girl with golden brown eyes turned around.

"Surprise."

We lunged at her, and Katniss wrenched my knife out of my hand while I made sure the girl stayed quiet. She stabbed her through the heart. The girl went limp almost immediately. Katniss didn't feel triumphant. She stumbled backwards into a tree. "Gale, cut my cheek, and then punch me in the face."

"What?"

"Do you honestly think Cato will believe that Collin was killed and that I got off scott-free? Come on!" She looked at me pleadingly.

I winced and sliced my knife down her check. Then I punched her in the nose. It hurt me to watch her keel over to try and keep the fresh blood that was running out of her nose from going everywhere. "Oww."

"I'm sorry, Katniss!" I whispered.

"It's okay, it's what I asked for. We fabricated evidence. Now go. The hovercraft will be here soon." she gave me a quick kiss. I ran off to my tree hollow. If I had to hurt Katniss again for evidence, I'd refuse. I draped some leaves over the opening of the tree, and fell fast asleep in my sleeping bag.

**A/N: I made up Collista's name, because the girl from four is unknown. I know she was killed by tracker jackers, too, but whatever. Glimmer will still die from t.j. stings, still. That way Katniss won't be in too much trouble….REVIEW!**


	10. Author's Note

**Short note to the readers.**

**A/N: Hey, yeesh, I know it's been forever since I've updated my stories. For all of you who have stayed faithful to my page, here's the story. My mom found out I'd been going on FanFiction behind her back. I hurriedly deleted any stories that she might have found questionable, and handed my account over to my sister, who has no writing ability whatsoever. She refused to update anything for me, and said it was because she didn't want to cross out mom, but I think it's just because she was cranky and, well, pregnant. (She had twins, a boy and girl. I told her it was a curse, considering I have a twin brother. Hi Drakey!) well, anyway, Mom still doesn't know I'm back on fanfiction, which is why I had to change my username just a smidge. But I am back in business! I will be posting tomorrow if all goes well, which is not guaranteed, so don't get your hopes up. (I sincerely apologize for not updating. I will not be reposting any previous stories, because I deleted them so my mom would not find them. I cannot recover them. Bye.)**


	11. Chapter 10

**I don't own Hunger Games. I just imitate it in a way that would never do it justice, and try to say it does.**

Chapter 10: Katniss's P.O.V

"He always jumps us up here." I gestured toward the clearing where I normally met Gale. It hadn't taken Cato long to see something flawed in our plan. Only three contestants.

"Right." Cato growled. He had a tight grip on my wrists, and was walking forward cautiously. "You are a liar, you know that?"

"I'm not, I swear. He's always-WATCH OUT!" I thought my little façade was convincing enough, but now it was up to Gale to prove that I was "innocent". If he didn't attack me, or if he left me without some sort of battle scar, Cato would probably kill me. Or attempt to.

Gale landed squarely behind Cato with a knife. "Nice of you to show up." He hissed.

Cato released me and pulled the sword from his belt. He looked much too confident. Arrogant, even, that he'd kill the boy from twelve that was not even half his size. He charged Gale, and Gale jumped, swung on a low hanging tree branch, and landed once more behind Cato.

"This can go on forever, you know." Gale smirked. "I don't mind."

Cato charged again, but this time he passed up Gale, and headed straight for me. He grabbed me and held his sword against my throat. "I know she has something to do with this! If she doesn't, you'll let me kill her. If not, I'll still kill her, but I'll kill you too. Is that how you want this to end?"

"No." Gale admitted. He took a deep breath. "We had a plan. Together. And…"

"That's enough for me." He raised his knife, and I thought he was about to slit my throat, he drug the sword across my leg, leaving a jagged, deep cut. I screamed the whole time. "She'll bleed out real slow with that. I want her to suffer." He dropped me to the ground, and I withered, trying to stop the bleeding and the immense pain without much of anything.

But before he could get over to Gale, Gale was running. I'd always been thankful in how fast he could run, but not more than I was now. He scooped me off the ground (and yes, I shrieked at this, too,) and ran with me in his arms.

I couldn't protest much, because I'd already lost too much blood. Black spots came in front of my eyes, and I lolled into a sea of black unconsciousness.

**A/N: Okay, this was a really, **_**really**_** short chap. Forgive me, but It was more of me getting the swing of things. Remember, I haven't written on this story for months. You guys should be happy with anything. Well, I really threw you for a loop, didn't I? I mean KATNISS getting what was technically supposed to happen to Gale since I replaced HIM with PEETA in the story line? Will Gale take Katniss's original place? The world may never know….**


	12. Chapter 11

**Yes. I don't own the Hunger Games. Get over yourself, okay?**

Chapter 11: Gale's POV

There was so much blood.

I couldn't seem to get it to stop. I'd tied my shirt around her leg as some sort of pressure. My shirt, which was white, became solid red in less than ten minutes.

"Katniss, wake up." she looked so pale, sick. But she worked around her mom, who was a well known healer in the Seam. If I could just get her to wake up for one minute, maybe two…

Suddenly, she was away, and she gasped, trying to clutch her leg. "Gale," her eyes looked so pained.

"I'm here, just tell me what I have to do."

"Is…" she took a deep breath, braving the pain by pulling herself into a sitting position. "Is there water somewhere close?"

"Yeah, there's a river just outside." I looked at her.

"Take me there, but just let me sit in the water. It'll wash out my cut and the…pressure from the current will keep me from bleeding as much as I am now."

I nodded gravely. But, I should have known this would have happened to one of us sooner or later. One of us or both of us was going to have to die.

I picked her up cautiously and slid her through the opening to the cave I'd brought her in. She fought a little at that, not wanting to black out from pain again.

She smiled a little bit when she was sitting waist-deep in the river. She said the water was warm, and that it felt nice.

"Okay. I'm going to go pick so berries, I'll be right back." I waited for her response and trudged toward the lightly forested area directly away from the river. After I was covered by a few trees, I put my head in my hands and paced. I didn't know how I was going to help Katniss. I didn't know how she could help herself, but I swore to myself that I would protect her from danger. Not just for my sake, but for Prim's….

I shook my head, grabbed a handful of random berries off a bush, and walked back towards Katniss.

I gave her half of the berries, put one in my mouth, and was about to chew and swallow it, when…

"Gale, don't eat that!" I immediately spat it out. Her voice was weak, but she seemed concerned.

Upon further inspection, I realized what berries they were. Why I hadn't been paying attention, I don't know. "Nightlock." I whispered.

Katniss had just saved _my_ life.

**A/N: not exactly a cliff-hanger, but y'know. It was a bit longer than yesterday, I'll give myself that. I obviously had to bring in the nightlock, though. Some of you may be worried I'm blowing through the book to quickly. Just for reinsurance, I am doing the whole series, and in HG I'm making some of the events happen out of order. REVIEW!**


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